---
title: Restrict direct messages
---

import FlattenedSteps from "../../components/FlattenedSteps.astro";
import NavigationSteps from "../../components/NavigationSteps.astro";
import ZulipTip from "../../components/ZulipTip.astro";
import AdminOnly from "../include/_AdminOnly.mdx";
import SaveChanges from "../include/_SaveChanges.mdx";

<AdminOnly />

Organization administrators can configure two types of permissions for [direct
messages](/help/direct-messages):

* Who can **authorize** a direct message conversation. To send a DM, the recipients
  must include at least one user who can authorize the conversation (the sender
  or someone else).
* Who can **start** a direct message conversation.

These permissions can be granted to any combination of
[roles](/help/user-roles), [groups](/help/user-groups), and individual
[users](/help/introduction-to-users). They are designed so that users can always
respond to a direct message they've received (unless organization permissions
change). They also provide a lot of flexibility for managing DMs in your
organization. For example, you can:

* Prevent 1:1 DMs between [guest users](/help/guest-users).
* Allow members to respond to DMs from an admin or moderator, but not to start
  DM conversations.
* Disable direct messages altogether.

Regardless of how these settings are configured, users can always send direct messages
to bots and to themselves.

<ZulipTip>
  When restricting direct messages, consider also [restricting who can create
  private channels](/help/configure-who-can-create-channels).
</ZulipTip>

## Configure who can authorize a direct message conversation

<FlattenedSteps>
  <NavigationSteps target="settings/organization-permissions" />

  1. Under **Direct message permissions**, configure **Who can authorize a direct
     message conversation**.

  <SaveChanges />
</FlattenedSteps>

## Configure who can start a direct message conversation

<FlattenedSteps>
  <NavigationSteps target="settings/organization-permissions" />

  1. Under **Direct message permissions**, configure **Who can start a direct
     message conversation**.

  <SaveChanges />
</FlattenedSteps>

## Disable direct messages

<FlattenedSteps>
  <NavigationSteps target="settings/organization-permissions" />

  1. Under **Direct message permissions**, set **Who can authorize a direct
     message conversation** to **Direct messages disabled**.

  <SaveChanges />
</FlattenedSteps>

## Related articles

* [Direct messages](/help/direct-messages)
* [Restrict channel creation](/help/configure-who-can-create-channels)
